Collaboration on ESL initiative

Xilinx, a programmable logic solutions provider, has launched the ESL Initiative - a multi-faceted program aimed at making electronic system level (ESL) design methodologies and tools more accessible to programmable system designers. The initiative expands collaboration across the ESL supply chain to better integrate and optimise ESL tool flows for both hardware designers and software programmers targeting FPGAs.

Initial participants include: Bluespec; Celoxica; CriticalBlue; Impulse Accelerated Technologies; Mitrionics; Nallatech; Poseidon Design Systems; SystemCrafter; and Teja Technologies.

The ESL Initiative underscores the commitment by Xilinx and ESL tool providers to drive technological innovation and development of practical solutions that deliver on the full potential of this high-level design methodology. The initiative has identified four key areas of focus:

• Improve ease of use to further simplify and abstract the details associated with FPGA design
• Optimise support for Xilinx embedded PowerPC and MicroBlaze processor solutions
• Improve the quality of results with high level language (HLL) synthesis tools
• Establish common standards for FPGA ESL tool interoperability

• Technical collaboration will be backed by cooperative marketing and educational programs to promote the capabilities, strengths and benefits of FPGA ESL solutions.

  As part of that effort, Xilinx has launched a FPGA industry's ESL knowledge centre at www.xilinx.com/esl and user blog at http://toolbox.xilinx.com/cgi-bin/forum. The site organises information on tools, design flows and applications, including details on how designers can get started with an ESL product evaluation.

  The goal is to empower the user community to make informed decisions about ESL methodologies and solutions based on their specific requirements.

  ESL tool development to date has primarily focused on the design of hard-wired devices (ASICs, ASSPs). However, the increasing sophistication of programmable system platforms such as the Xilinx Virtex-4 and Spartan-3 FPGAs has accelerated the need for FPGA-based ESL design methodologies.